Net installation ensures safety and efficiency in laboratory

7 December 2015

Due to the intricate nature of their work, testing laboratories at the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) can often not be shut down during renovations and maintenance, and temporary supporting structures not only come with a considerable financial burden, but limit daily activities too.

Safety and work platform nets have proven to be the most effective fall protection solution for Enza Construction, which has been contracted to install ducting at an SABS testing facility, while ensuring that no disruptions are caused on the laboratory floor.

Two 6 m x 4 m safety nets were installed 6 m off the ground by leading rope access specialist Skyriders in early November 2015. Marketing manager Mike Zinn indicates that a four-man rope access team successfully installed the nets over a two-day period.

“Using slings, the Skyriders team secured the nets to parallel crawl beams that were already secured to the concrete soffit. In certain areas, chemical anchors were placed onto the concrete to ensure greater anchorage,” he explains.

Chemical anchors are made up of steel studs, bolts and anchorages which are bonded into concrete, using a resin-based adhesive system. It is ideally-suited for high-load applications. “The chemical anchors were left to cure for 24 hours before installation commenced,” adds Zinn.

The Enza construction team needed to work on the underside of the concrete ceiling to install the ducting. Skyriders therefore installed shatter ply decking on the work platform to make it easy for the Enza team to walk across, without compromising on safety.

All safety and work platform nets installed by Skyriders are supplied by industrial and commercial netting expert, Industrial Netting (Pty) Ltd., which provides tough and reliable safety nets. Zinn highlights that companies are slowly realising the importance of using safety nets as an alternative for working at heights.

“When installed correctly, safety nets hold up under the toughest demands. In this case, the nets not only ensured construction worker safety, but also enabled SABS testing centre activities underneath the work space to continue uninterrupted, thereby eliminating downtime,” he concludes.